Work Text:
The mustari people have two kinds of handshakes: one to show trust, one to convey romantic feelings. The difference is subtle and would not get picked up on by a person not familiar with the concept, meaning anyone outside of the tribe. In her life on the island, Eupha only ever did the first kind of handshake, and with a tiny number of people she could count with the fingers of one hand. The second type never even crossed her mind, as romance was not something Eupha paid much attention to. Born priestess her path was set in stone, the looming promise of a sacrificial death casting an overwhelming shadow over her life.
This was, of course, completely shattered when Will and his motley band arrived. It was a trope, one out of a bad novel. The sheltered girl falls for the first outsider that appears, arriving in a – mostly – polished gauntlet runner and promptly whisking her away to travel the world. They even had a bit of a novel-like first meeting, with him walking in on her bathing, yet all this did nothing to prevent her from developing a healthy crush on the royal tournament participant. What was there not to like? Will was endearingly naive, with big words and absolute belief behind every single one. He spoke of things hard to even imagine, concepts too idealistic for the real world, and Eupha’s heart fluttered any time he said them out loud. Joining the team came naturally to the priestess, and the crush soon followed.
The first handshake, the one of trust, they shared not long after he saved her from the Dragon Temple. Even then, a small part of Eupha was winking at her internally, claiming that maybe she should just go for it and offer him the second one. It was easy enough to silence those thoughts at the start, but they did not grow quieter. The opposite, if anything. The more they traveled together and the more crazy situations they got into; the more Eupha came to like the Elda. He was a bright-eyed dreamer, but at the same time a supportive rock she could lean on when the outside world got too overwhelming for her tastes. He led their ragtag team to the best of his ability, and while he most definitely stumbled along the way, Will always made sure to get back up.
And so, those treacherous feelings in Eupha’s chest continued to bloom, strongly enough for Edeni to start giving her strange looks when their teleporting runner swung by Eht Ria. The feelings didn’t stop even after she, alongside everyone else, watched in shock as Louis turned Will into a human by forcefully twisting his magla. She did her best to help suppress the outburst, and made sure to keep an eye – the third one to be exact – on him as they escaped through the city, watching for any anomalies in his aura. After the rushed meeting and with their course set for the elda sanctuary, Will went to lie down on the couch, understandably completely exhausted. Eupha followed to make sure his magla wouldn’t start going crazy again and watched over him as the boy fell into an uneasy sleep. Crouching next to the captain, she allowed the tips of her fingers to brush against his, closing her eyes. He was still there, and she was still falling for him. Nothing changed.
Or so she thought.
The carnage Zorba unleashed on the sanctuary was shocking, and watching Will merge with the assassinated prince equally so. Fortunately for her, Will becoming the prince, or rather always being him in a sense, did nothing to change the feelings either. He helped her resolve the situation with the church, helped her defeat the magla-corrupted fanatic and save the “patients” from certain death. It made her decision on what to do next much easier.
It was under the blood-red sky brought upon by Louis that they shared the second handshake, the romantic one, without Will understanding the gesture properly. He didn’t know the meaning and she wouldn’t tell him, not until Louis was defeated for good. Where they were going, there was a good chance of either of them not making it back, and she didn’t want to add more weight upon the already straining shoulders of the fledgling prince.
Even with Louis's death and Will restored to his rightful throne, she didn’t work up the courage to tell him - not like she had much time to ponder it either way. Saving the kingdom was only the first step, as they soon found out, bringing it back from the brink of self-destruction was equally as important. The first year of Will’s rule was beyond busy, with all the former party members elevated to important roles, Eupha’s duties as the chief magistrate eating up all of her time and then some. They remained in this will-they-wont-they limbo, collared by responsibilities and leashed by the shyness of both parties. It was frustrating, beyond frustrating at times, when Eupha got the time to sit down and ponder her situation. The night of the new year was one of these, but her brooding was interrupted by someone loudly barging in. She almost screamed when the door to her office flew open, revealing a grinning Will who completely ignored the state of distress he found her in.
“The fireworks are starting!”, he said, eyes shining.
“T-The wh-what?”
“Fireworks, the celebration, everything.”, he paused for a moment, “You didn’t know?”
“Well, I was…”, she gestured to her desk, “busy?”
Will looked at her as if he didn’t understand the concept, which was a little bit concerning considering he was a king and all.
“You gotta make time for this, they are using magic-infused powder from the academy. Junah’s idea.”
Sure, there was work. Work would be there tomorrow, however, the fireworks would not, and Eupha couldn’t say she wasn’t curious.
“Fine, let me just…”
Whatever she wanted to say got lost, because Will heard only the first word. Grabbing her hand, he practically pulled her behind him as he guided them, at a breakneck pace, through the darkened corridors of the castle. Eupha originally wanted to protest such an undignified treatment, but the firm grip of Will’s hand on hers completely paralyzed any sort of complaint.
It wasn’t long before they found themselves on the battlements, where Will let go – big loss – and sat down on the railing. He patted the place next to him in a clear invitation, and so Eupha gathered her robe and sank beside the king. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable seat, but they were both used to much harsher conditions. As Will predicted the show was starting, rockets flying up high and exploding in a variety of colorful patterns, bringing the sky to life. For a while that’s all there was, the two of them staring at the pretty colors, until Will gathered enough courage to break the ice. Slowly, tentatively, the king reached out, placing his hand over hers. Eupha nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden touch, despite how careful it was, and the audible gulp from her throat must have resonated through the entire castle.
“I need to ask you something.”, he said, voice following the same careful approach as the touch.
“Y-Yes?”
She wasn’t squeaking. She wasn’t. Maybe a little bit.
“This ruler thing is kinda getting to me, so I’ll be taking a small break.”
The shock of his words overcame the shock of the hand, and Eupha turned to look at the boy.
“What? For how long?”
“I’m not sure yet.”, he looked away from her, casting his gaze over the celebrating city, “What I am sure about is that I have to do it. I need to get out there again, travel, see what’s happening with my own two eyes.”
She could hear the burning need in the very words. The king wasn’t lying, wasn’t doing this to skimp out on his duties, he was doing it because he had to. The traveler part of his brain has been cooped up for way too long, and it had to get out, or it would drive him crazy.
“From what I’ve observed I’m quite sure Hulkenberg and Strohl will come with me.”, he continued, “Neuras has to come too, of course, I can’t fly the runner on my own. So, for the question…”
His fingers were dancing on the back of her hand, light as feathers and yet sending pangs of warmth up her spine.
“We will be leaving tomorrow, do you want to come with us? Like the old times?”
The wording made her giggle, despite the seriousness of the situation.
“Old times? It’s been only a year.”
He returned her grin.
“True. Felt longer, though.”
Ceasing the movement, he laid his hand flat on hers, and Eupha turned her palm up without thinking. Their fingers intertwined and he gave her a quick squeeze while waiting for the answer. Eupha most definitely wanted to say yes, right here and there, throw the mountain of paperwork waiting at the office out of the window, jump in the runner, and be off. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Her duties were numerous, now that she was holding a very important post in the government, and ignoring them for the sake of going on a trip?
“I... I don’t think I can.”, she finally squeezed out, eyes downcast, “There’s too much to do…”
He didn’t let go of her hand, and when he spoke, there was nothing but understanding in his voice.
“Alright. If that’s what you think is best.”
“Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for, not being a slacker like me? You should be berating me instead.”
The smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
“I’ll leave that to Hulkenberg.”
Saying so she turned back to the king, and froze, realizing the position they found themselves in. Eupha was so close that she could feel Will’s breath on her skin, and for a moment, and moment only, his eyes fell to her lips and she saw the muscles in him tense as he was just about to lean forward and…
Above them, a massive firework went off, illuminating everything in piercing light. The moment broken, Will pulled back as if stung and awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Fair enough.”
With the moon gazing over the pair, and them gazing over the city in turn, Eupha wished the moment to last just a tiny bit longer, and her silent plea was answered. The king made no move to get up, content to sit there and hold her hand. Probably due to the realization that they wouldn’t see each other for a while, she decided to be bold, scooting herself closer and – after biting her bottom lip in determination – put her head on the boy’s shoulder. He tensed before relaxing and angling his body towards her as well. Woah.
The silence stretched, but it was a comfortable one, laying over them like a blanket against the cold. They didn’t need to talk anymore, letting the sounds of the city wash over them instead, the voices loud despite the late hour. There is only one New Year celebration per year, after all. Comfortable and warm, Eupha’s eyes began to slide shut. I can close them just for a moment, she thought, not having the heart to interrupt whatever they were having. Insistent, these treacherous thoughts eventually lulled her into falling asleep with her head on the king’s shoulder.
Despite dozing off outside, she woke up in her bed. The implication, that it had to be the king who carried her all the way here and quite literally tucked her in, made her blush furiously so it was fortunate that no one was around. The hour was early, she could tell from the sun which was only beginning its journey over the horizon, and watching it she couldn’t help but think about the question from yesterday. From what Will said he would be leaving today, and soon. Was she really okay with this? To sit here in the castle while he’s out there, adventuring? Was she okay with doing nothing for another week, month, year? Was she okay with watching the sun rise and fall, wondering how they were doing instead of being with everyone?
The paperwork at the table was taunting her silently, promising dull nothingness she could drown the words in. Just get up, walk over, and… and…. Get to work?
No.
The kingdom was in a good state, and Eupha’s affairs were in order. Mostly. Other people could fill in for her, the magistrate would not collapse without her being there. And damn it, she really wanted to get out there. Rolling out of bed, Eupha packed at a horrendously fast pace and was out of the door before reason and responsibility had any chance to catch up. The only downside to such speed was the unavoidable recklessness, which made her collide with someone, the apology dying on her lips when she saw who it was.
“Junah?”
Eupha’s eyes flew over her friend’s clothes, noting the traveling attire.
“Are you…?”
“Leaving to join the king? Yeah. I told him no when he asked me the first time, but…”, she smiled with a tiny bit of guilt mixed in, “I changed my mind.”
The priestess answered with a nod.
“Same here.”
“Look at us, what a pair of high-functioning adults.”, Junah sighed, twirling a strand of her hair around a finger, “Sneaking out of the castle so we can go on a wacky adventure instead of doing our jobs.”
Hearing the same accusation that was replaying in her head, Eupha frowned.
“Do you think we shouldn’t go?”
“What? Of course we should.”, dancing to her side, Junah grabbed her arm, “We have to make sure the king is safe, don’t we?”
“I’m not sure..”
“Totally is! We are his partisans!”, nodding along, the songstress guided them both out of the door and towards the plaza where the king’s runner was resting, “The other stuff can wait.”
Maybe it wasn’t exactly proper, what they were doing, but neither of them was willing to stay behind. Running into Basilio and Maria, who were just about to enter the runner as well, was an added cherry on top. The reunion with everyone was great, and the following days were as adventurous as Eupha remembered them. Even better, without the threat of Louis looming over them. Looking at the king standing on the runner’s deck, she could see the magla strands around him brighten as his emotions grew lighter and lighter. It was a sight to behold.
After a few days on the road, with them resting every night to give Neuras the time off, the evening found Eupha wandering the runner aimlessly. She tried meditating, that didn’t stick, and everyone else seemed to be so busy. Her steps, carried by no real purpose behind them, eventually led her up to the rear deck, only to find a large steaming tub and a familiar silver-haired head peeking out of the sweet-smelling foam. She should leave, Eupha knew this very well, and yet her feet remained rooted in place. Will was watching her from his perch in the tub, damp hair sticking to his forehead, a curious look in those eyes of his.
“Gallica is not here?”, she heard herself say, as her body moved to lean on the deck’s railing and not back down the steps as she should. Curious. Will’s eyes followed her every move, not making any sign of being embarrassed. Even more curious.
“No, she gives me privacy when I take a bath. Unlike others.”, the corner of his mouth went up, “But I understand what you’re doing.”
Eupha’s heart leaped all the way to her throat. Did he actually pick up on the hints? Did he ask someone about the handshake’s meaning? Edeni told him?
“Y-You d-do?”, she stammered, fighting the blush down, “th-then…”
“You’re paying me back, right? For the time when I walked in on you at the island?”
Eupha felt her chest deflate.
“O-oh... I…”
“It’s fine,”, Will leaned back, a bit cocky, “look all you want.”
Emboldened by these words, and a bit angry at both herself and him for being so dense, Eupha did look to see the source of his sudden bravery. The thick steam and foam created by the bath bomb obscured anything truly embarrassing from view, all Eupha could see was the king’s head and bare shoulders.
“Not sure if this is enough of a payback.”
“I never said I play fair.”
“Maybe I’ll have to simply take what I want, then.”
He cocked his head to the side.
“And what would that be?”
Eupha was, by no stretch of the imagination, bold when it came to expressing her feelings, the past year established so. However, she and the king had been circling each other for a long while now, and frankly, she was getting tired of it. Not to mention getting tired of all Edeni’s teasing, anytime he came by. What it came down to was the simple realization that unless she does something drastic, things will not progress, the almost-kiss at the roof made her sure of that. The king was polite and respectful to a fault, he would not risk upsetting her over misread feelings. It was partly her fault, the handshake was a mustari tradition, he had no way of knowing what it meant, so counting on it to get her point across was a lost cause. When all this came together with the lighthearted atmosphere of this trip, this night, alongside the knowledge that they were together outside of the capital’s watchful eye, Eupha decided to square her shoulders and do something very uncharacteristic.
“Close your eyes.”, she commanded the king, who stared right back at her.
“Huh? Why?”
“Just do it!”
Not wanting to argue and assuming that there’s a good reason, Will obeyed. The surrounding darkness was broken by the bubbling of the water, and a sound of… cloth… sliding… shoes hitting the deck… a splash of water and…
Oh.
When a presence nestled itself into his chest, Will didn’t need eyes to know what was going on.
“You can open them.”, the slightly trembling voice said.
Allowed to regain his vision, Will was confronted by a sight of blonde hair and brown skin, confirming the suspicion. Eupha, cold or something, decided to strip off and hop into the tub with him, leaning her back against his chest as if she belonged there.
“Hmmm, you do take your water hot.”
The seemingly nonchalant comment was undermined by the squeakiness of her tone, yet Will was in no state of mind to poke fun at her. The temperature of the water was the last thing on the king’s agenda, vastly overshadowed by the feeling of the firm curves pressing into his skin. It was hard to guess what Eupha’s body looked like, with all her flowing robes and loose shirts, though he did faintly remember how it looked under the wet clothing in the island’s spring. Well, now with no shirt in sight, it was the steam blocking his view, but he had quite a hands-on presentation. N-Not that Will was too interested in anything like that, of course not. Totally.
To tear his mind away from thinking about Eupha’s body, he leaned back to stare at the stars instead, hoping she wouldn’t interpret the move in a negative way. What he couldn’t know was that Eupha was having a bit of a mental breakdown of her own, now that her mind caught up to what she had just done. She was naked in the tub, alongside identically naked Will, literally skin to skin. Dragon God, give me strength.
Truth is the islanders were a bit less uptight when it came to bathing, Eupha wasn’t kidding when she suggested they all visit the Altabury hot springs together back when it opened. Strohl almost getting a stroke upon hearing it taught her it was quite different on the mainland. However, even if one would apply the islander standards, she was behaving inappropriately. She and Will weren’t a couple or anything, despite what Edeni kept egging her on about, most they did was hold hands and shoot a few awkward half-compliments and looks each other’s way. Did she overstep their boundaries? Would he think her crude for doing this? Promiscuous?
Will, on his part, was not thinking about much at all, counting the stars and begging his body not to embarrass him. It was no secret to him that he was interested in Eupha, she was sweet, caring, and very pretty. Ever since she gave him the second handshake, so strangely invested in it, Will was torn between the need to find out what it meant on his own and wait until she would tell him. After Edeni shot him down when asked, he decided to go with the second option, yet the explanation never came. With all this, how exactly was he supposed to interpret what Eupha just did? Was it normal for mustari to bathe with a friend? None of his experience suggested so, although admittedly it wasn’t like he went around the island asking the villagers how they washed themselves.
No way, he would have heard about it or seen it during their time on the island. This, whatever Eupha did, was her clumsy way of showing her own interest in him, had to be. It was only fair if he responded in kind instead of letting her sit there and boil in her embarrassment. She seemed tense, uncomfortable, and it couldn’t be the water since it was still hot enough for her tastes. It further fueled the hypothesis on Will’s part, who had no way of knowing the truth without asking and even someone like him understood how doing so would ruin everything.
Euphausia, can you please explain in simple terms why you stripped and got in the tub with me?
Yeah, not happening. That option out of the way, all he could do was test the theory. With bated breath, Will gently pushed Eupha’s hair to the side over one of her shoulders, exposing the slope of her neck. Then he leaned forward, and – risking one last look at the unmoving girl – pressed his lips to the top of her spine. Eupha gasped when he did so, and some of the tension seemed to ebb away from her. Seeing her relax gave Will the confidence to speak up, silently praying that this wasn’t just some kind of weird mustari ritual he never heard of.
“I do hope I’m understanding this correctly as you… liking me?”
“M-Maybe.”
“That’s good because I definitely like you.”
Now the tension was gone completely, and Eupha took a deep breath for the first time since getting in the water. Will liked her, she liked him, everything so simple that it made her laugh. The melodic sound got the boy’s attention, and he pulled back with a question in his eyes, one he never got to say out loud because Eupha was overflowing with energy now. If he had the nerve to kiss her neck, she had to one-up him, and fast. Fortunately, ideas were one thing she was full of after a year of thinking about the king in an undeniably inappropriate way. With a few splashes of water, Eupha turned around to kneel in front of him instead. To Will’s credit, his eyes only flickered to her exposed chest before refocusing back on her face. Blushing yet determined, she grabbed a hold of his head from both sides – more to calm herself rather than anything else – and took a deep breath while all her three eyes were staring holes into the king.
“I w-want to kiss y-you.”
She was about as far from being suave as she could. Eupha was blushing, stammering, and just from the wet touch of her palms Will could hear the hammering of her heart. His own wasn’t doing much better, to be fair, and the word slipping from his lips could very well be the only one in the whole dictionary.
“Okay.”
Without another word, most likely scared she would run out of steam, Eupha leaned in and pressed her lips against his in one single move which sent the water rippling. It was soft, if nervous on both ends, and ended rather swiftly with the girl pulling away with an unspoken question. Unspoken because Will didn’t give her the chance to voice it, chasing her mouth with his and latching on for seconds. Even after they separated he kept their faces close and foreheads touching, mindful of the angle not to hurt her third eye. Her breath was puffing across his skin, and somehow he was able to feel it even with the scalding water all around them. The opportunity to call this situation “steamy” was right there, and Will was just about to take it when Eupha spoke.
“That was… nice.”
“I’m sure it could be even better.”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t, simply assuming.”, he gave her a bit of a crooked grin, “Want to practice?”
The heat must have gotten to Eupha’s head, because instead of saying she had enough and getting out of the tub, she climbed into Will’s lap more properly, circling her arms around his neck while he held her waist. Or maybe it was nice, and she wanted more. She would never even dream of doing this a year back, but she and the king had done a lot of things together. From saving her life and beating Louis to spending time together while brushing hands and swallowing words that would fare much better out in the open. They waited over a year to do anything, a few kisses wouldn’t hurt, would they? Steeling herself internally, she did her absolute best to ignore the skin-on-skin contact they were having at the moment.
“Alright,”, she squeezed out, “Let’s practice.”
All duty, the king nodded.
“As the lady commands.”
The water was hot, his lips were hotter, and his hands were burning into her skin underneath the water, all watched by the uncaring gaze of the moon. Dragon God preserve her…
“You really shouldn’t be spending so much time in the bath, your majesty.”, Hulkenberg said, when Will finally climbed into the runner, “I was just about to go check on you.”
“What do you think could happen to me?”
She puffed out her chest.
“At the insane temperature you keep drawing the water at? ‘Tis entirely possible to pass out and drown!”
“Look, Hulkenberg,”, Will ran a hand through his wet hair, “You let me enjoy my bath in peace, and I won’t ask why I keep finding you near Strohl’s room in the morning.”
The shocked look was quickly replaced by pure embarrassment when Heismay chuckled, her face matching the red hue of her hair. Taking it as a victory, Will quickly vacated the premises in order to find his bed while she struggled to get the words out. As he was climbing in the bunk, he could hear the eugief’s voice consoling the knight.
“Relax, you are simply not as sneaky as you think. I can teach you a few tricks, if you’d like…”
With a smirk, the king pulled the curtain shut.
The steady beating of the runner’s legs against the ground was familiar, the figure standing at the front of the deck even more so, and Will moved to join Eupha at the railing without a second thought.
“You never told me the meaning of the second handshake.”
“I didn’t.”
“Will you?”
Despite knowing that mustari cannot control their third eye in this way, he would swear that Eupha’s winked at him.
“No, I don’t think you need to know.”
Her voice was warm, and so were the fingers that reached from underneath her robe to touch Will’s. More than happy to return the gesture, he took a more proper hold of her hand, and together they looked over the vast greenness of nature reclaiming the once-lost land. With the morning sun overhead and with Eupha at his side, Will realized that he didn’t need her to tell him the meaning of the handshake. In his heart, he already knew.